The execution of the former Empress Betius was decided.
No one felt sorry about it. They said there was a good reason for it, but the details were unknown. It wasn’t something a young child would know about.
‘Was it because she tormented Hyungnim?’
But if that were the case, people didn’t even sympathize much with Achille. The sharp, cold gazes even seemed to regret that he wasn’t being executed along with the former Empress.
“Young His Imperial Majesty.”
On the day of the execution, Billy, who had quietly approached him, bowed his head and whispered.
“Don’t worry. I’ll cover your eyes.”
He didn’t particularly want to see someone die, but due to the Emperor and Crown Prince’s orders, Lenox also had to be present. What were the words of advice they’d given when telling him to attend? Something like, ‘I hope you clearly witness this bad precedent and don’t make the same mistake.’
Fortunately, that order didn’t seem to include clearly watching the former Empress die. Lenox obediently nodded his head.
When the haggard former Empress appeared amidst the people’s jeers, Lenox looked not at the person about to die, but at someone standing alone a few steps away.
“Achille Hyungnim.”
No one stood beside the cold, lonely man. Far from covering his eyes, it seemed no one even wanted to speak to him.
Clunk.
A body that had been spewing out curses was suspended in midair, the people’s jeers turned into cheers, the sound of something being dragged away was heard, and soon the hand covering his eyes fell away.
“……”
There was still no one beside Achille. He just stood like a painting, staring blankly at one spot.
As if he saw nothing, as if he didn’t want to see anyone.
Even though he’d witnessed his birth mother’s death right before his eyes, Achille wasn’t sad. He didn’t burst with rage. He wasn’t afraid or sad. He just…….
“……He looks cold.”
Achille’s blue eyes looked terribly cold.
That’s why he might have wanted to try harder. Because he knew what it felt like to drift around with nowhere to rest his heart. Because he couldn’t help but know how lonely that was.
But.
“It’s useless, Your Imperial Majesty.”
The moment he couldn’t refute those words, Lenox felt despair.
What if it really was useless, just as people said? What if Hyungnim really does hate me…… So what if pretending to know him and hovering around like this is no different from tormenting him?
“I just……”
He wanted to ask if he’d had any bad dreams last night. He wanted to ask if he liked gardening, and whether he preferred cookies or cake. He wanted to tell him how beautiful the color of the zelkova tree leaves he’d seen on the way had been.
But what if he wasn’t curious about any of that? What if he didn’t want to hear it and didn’t even glance his way—shouldn’t he really give up now?
It was around the time he was thinking that.
‘What was it, shall we go see that zelkova tree you mentioned.’
Hyungnim, who didn’t push him away for the first time, was so different from usual that it seemed like he’d become a different person overnight.
‘Come here.’
Still, it was fine.
Because this was much better than being ignored. Enough to think he’d want nothing more if he could just stay by his side somehow.
As long as those blue eyes still looked sad and cold, Lenox couldn’t pass by Achille.
‘So now live where you want to live, as long as you want, in the way you want to live.’
At some point, Lenox was embraced by someone whose winter had completely melted away, and he quietly answered inwardly.
Hyungnim. I want to live here. I want to live as long as possible, even one more day if I can. I want to live by Hyungnim’s side.
Lenox’s eyes sparkled open. Perhaps because he’d just woken from a long dream, his head was a bit foggy, but he shook his head vigorously, trying to quickly come to his senses.
‘Hyungnim!’
As he sat up abruptly, the figure at his bedside tilted slightly. He saw Achille sitting by his bedside, asleep with his arms crossed.
He didn’t leave.
Lenox, who’d been stroking his chest while letting out a sigh of relief, stared intently at Achille’s face. His slightly scrunched expression made it look like he was having trouble sleeping or caught in a nightmare.
Was he in pain?
That would make sense. They said wyvern fluid contained poison that was difficult to detoxify. He remembered the adults saying that although they’d urgently brought medicine from the castle for emergency treatment, he should still be careful for a while.
Healing magic would make him feel a bit better. For a while, his insides had stung and his head had felt heavy as if he’d swallowed a ball of fire, but after taking the medicine the mage made and sleeping, he’d gotten better as if washed clean.
As he focused all his nerves on his fingertips, a pure white light like first snow formed at his fingertips. It rose with a poof, fluttering through the air toward Achille.
The moment that tiny healing light touched Achille’s body, his eyes opened with a sparkle as if by magic, and Lenox’s face was reflected in those cool, clear blue eyes.
“……”
How should he describe this moment?
At least there seemed to be no right answer among the words he knew. What was this feeling that was touching, overwhelming, happy, yet made him want to cry?
Lenox, whose dry lips had been twitching, greeted him quietly.
“……Good morning, Hyungnim.”
“Yeah.”
To that nervously offered greeting, the one who had been cold for so long finally smiled.
“Good morning.”
It was the best morning of his life.
***
“……Ha.”
It was the worst morning of my life.
I lay in bed and weakly raised my hand to cradle my head. Perhaps because of the headache I’d suffered all night, my entire head was burning hot.
The ‘Chaos Meter’ had been fluctuating around 70 percent for days.
It was common for some unknown place to keep hurting. If it were just headaches, I could at least pretend to be fine, but nosebleeds and staggering were visible to others, which was troublesome.
If the newly arrived Grand Duke just stumbled around doing everything half-heartedly instead of doing his job, which territorial subject could feel at ease?
‘I know, but I can’t help it.’
It can’t be helped. Is it my fault that the bastard doesn’t come into my dreams? I want to go find him too, but I can’t find the address, so I’m in trouble in many ways.
[Current Chaos Meter: 76%]
The currently prominent pain was stiffness in the solar plexus and dizziness.
Just sitting up made my vision spin, so I had to move as slowly as a snail to prevent the mishap of collapsing on the floor.
While I was sluggishly getting up and sitting blankly, Billy came in. He brought clean water and clothes, and as he unbuttoned my shirt one by one, he said in a gentle voice,
“Shall I bring breakfast to your bedroom so it’s easier for you to eat?”
“No need. Pack something I can eat simply and bring it to my office. A protein-focused meal.”
“Understood. Now that I think about it, you’ve built up a lot of muscle. I also get the feeling that your body has become firmer compared to before. At this rate, you might even develop abs.”
“Abs, what. This level of training won’t even come close. Even my lung capacity still isn’t satisfactory…… But why are you taking off my clothes first thing in the morning?”
“Well, because it’s my job?”
Billy blinked and pulled off my shirt with a swish. The cold air touched my bare skin directly, making the fine hairs stand on end.
“Technically, attending to your clothes is one of my important daily tasks. But until now, Your Imperial Majesty has been doing everything yourself, so I’ve been half-unemployed.”
It couldn’t be helped. I had to change my clothes by myself, if only to keep the pattern on my solar plexus from being discovered.
“Haven’t you ever thought that someone who can’t even change their own clothes is an idiot?”
“To insult all the nobles of the empire in one sentence—how very like you, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“What do you mean ‘like me’?”
“Well, that’s……”
“……Never mind. Just don’t explain. I don’t want to hear it anymore.”
“An excellent choice.”
Fatigue came before embarrassment. I hung there limply as Billy attended to my clothes.
Fortunately, perhaps because it hadn’t been long since that bastard appeared in my dream, the traces had faded. I naturally fastened the middle button, diverting Billy’s gaze.
“Are you having a hard time because you have too much work?”
Billy said while fastening the remaining buttons.
“The north won’t collapse just because you rest for a day. Shall I threaten Hyung so he can’t bring you documents?”
“It’s not because of work.”
“Even though you have medicinal tea in your mouth every day because of headaches?”
“That’s……”
Even though there was a lot of work, it wasn’t enough to bury me. Whether it was headaches or chest pain, that damn ‘Chaos Meter’ was the problem.
After hesitating for a moment, I asked Billy.
“……I think it would help if we prepared a lot of teacups that are good for smashing. What do you think?”
It was a question asked with the hope that if I smashed what he brought right in front of him, wouldn’t he think of me as an impossible bastard?
“Your Imperial Majesty……”
Billy, covering his mouth with both hands, looked moved to tears.
“To think you’re now even giving advance notice for us lowly servants’ sake. You’re truly like an angel……”
Billy, you damn bastard. I told you not to be moved.
As if to prove it was the worst morning of my life, a magnificent nosebleed poured out, and Billy ended up being kicked out of the bedroom.
